Mongolia or Kazakhstan?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 10 12
UNESCO listings among them 3 3
Cost level Budget Budget
Busiest month in our write-ups July September
Currency Tugrik (MNT) Tenge (KZT)
Plugs and voltage C, E - 230 V C, F - 220 V
Everyday languages Mongolian Kazakh, Russian
Driving side right hand side right hand side
Region Eastern Asia Central Asia
Capital Ulan Bator Nur-Sultan
Mongolia
Nomadic hospitality is a code, not a gesture; guests are taken seriously in even the remotest ger.
What we have written up
- Gorkhi-Terelj National Park national park
- Karakorum and Erdene Zuu monument
- Khuvsgul Lake lake
- Naadam Festival festival
- Nomadic Culture and Naadam tradition
- Orkhon Valley archaeological site
Worth knowing before you go
- Ulaanbaatar takes cards, but the countryside runs on cash - carry tugrik in small notes
- Vodka comes with ritual - hosts dip a ring finger and flick drops skyward as a blessing before drinking
- Distances are enormous and many roads unpaved - a 300 km hop can fill a whole day
Kazakhstan
Steppe hospitality is serious business; guests are honoured, elders are deferred to, and the tea never stops.
What we have written up
- Aksu-Zhabagly national park
- Almaty old town
- Altyn-Emel National Park national park
- Astana tower
- Big Almaty Lake lake
- Charyn Canyon canyon
Worth knowing before you go
- Kaspi QR payments run daily life in cities, but bazaars still prefer cash
- Haggling is expected at bazaars like Almaty's Green Bazaar, never in shops
- Beshbarmak, the national dish, is eaten with the hands - the name means five fingers
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.